Thailand, one of
the world's most tolerant countries toward transvestites
and transsexuals, is considering a law to allow people who
have had a sex change to officially change their
title, reports said Sunday.
The proposal,
which would allow transgender men or women to choose how
they are addressed, is being considered by the country's
National Legislative Assembly to support an
antidiscrimination provision in the draft
constitution, Thai newspapers reported.
Wiroon
Tangcharoen, an assembly member who is also rector of
Srinakharinwirot University, said he supported the move,
which would bring Thailand's laws in line with those
of other countries, The Nation newspaper said.
No further
details were available about the proposed law.
Wiroon said he
did not believe the law would cause any problems in
university dormitories, where students are segregated by
sex, The Nation reported.
Students wishing
to stay with members of their adopted gender would have
to produce medical certificates proving they had undergone
sex-change operations, he said,
''The university
has nothing against male transsexual students staying in
female dormitories on the campus,'' he was quoted saying.
Even though
Thailand is widely tolerant of homosexuals, transvestites,
and transsexuals--who have a regular presence on TV,
in movies, and the entertainment business--many
must overcome family pressure, social prejudice, and
domestic violence.
Three years ago,
faced with the problem of which bathrooms transvestite
students should use, a college in the northern province of
Chiang Mai designated a bathroom for exclusive use of
the school's 15 cross-dressing students.
Dubbed the Pink
Lotus Bathroom, the facility at the Chiang Mai Technology
School featured four stalls, but no urinals. On the door was
a sign with intertwined male and female symbols.
The
transvestites--who had to wear male attire at school
but were allowed to sport feminine hairdos--had
annoyed female students when using the women's
bathrooms and faced harassment in the men's facilities. (AP)